Court Nixes Two DOE Electric Transmission Corridors

National interest electric transmission corridors, laid out by the Dept. of Energy to help facilitate development of larger transmission lines in mid-Atlantic and southwestern states, are in question following a Feb. 1 decision by the U.S. 9th Circuit Court of Appeals. The court ruled that the DOE failed to consult the affected states before designating the two areas for fast-track development of high-voltage lines. DOE designated the corridors in 2007 as Congress directed it to do under the Energy Policy Act of 2005 in an effort to reduce transmission congestion. The court said that the DOE also didn’t consider the National Environmental Policy Act and ordered DOE to restudy the transmission constraints. Southern California Edison was the only developer that applied to build a line along the southwestern corridor.

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